


Keep Calm and Carry On

by DaisyTwist



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Adventure, Canon Divergence - The Last of Us, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Mentions of Sex, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Swearing, more tags 2 be added, no actual smut, people who died in the game are still dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:42:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25122592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyTwist/pseuds/DaisyTwist
Summary: Dina convinces Ellie to stay, but Ellie still struggles with her PTSD. Can Ellie learn to let go and stay with her new family? Or will she succumb to the desire for revenge?Abby and Lev manage to outsmart the Rattlers and continue on their journey to find the Fireflies. Will they ever find a place to call home?(Author's notes will be at the end.)(Any similarities in dialogue to the game dialogue in the first chapter are intentional, but I DO NOT claim this as my own. These characters and concept are NOT my own.)Keep Calm and Carry on is going on a indefinite hiatus. I have no clue if I'll finish it. Ty for reading.
Relationships: Abby & Lev (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Owen/Abby (The Last of Us)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 83





	1. Introduction

“Come back to bed. We’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?” Dina turned.  
“I have to finish it.” Ellie looked at Dina back. Dina turned again and placed her hands on her hips.  
“You don’t owe Tommy anything.”  
“I don’t sleep. I don’t eat. I’m...I’m not like you Dina.” Ellie whispered.  
“What? You think this is easy?” Dina stepped forward. “For you, and for him, I deal with it.”  
“I love you.”  
“Prove it.” Dina sighs. “Stay.”  
“I can’t.”  
“So what? I’m just supposed to sit here and wait for you, for God knows how long, just thinking you’re fucking dead the entire time?”  
“I don’t plan on dying.”  
“Most people don’t, Ellie. But it happens. That’s just the world we live in. People die.” Ellie blinked and picked up her bag.  
“Hey stop.” Dina grabbed Ellie’s face. “Hey. Hey, come on. We’ve got a family. She doesn’t get to be more important than that.” Dina stared into Ellie’s eyes and stroked her cheek. Ellie inhaled and placed a hand on Dina’s arm.  
“Please... Ellie. Just wait. We’ll talk about it.” Dina whispered. Ellie sighed.  
“...Alright.”

Abby grinned at Lev who was beaming.  
“C’mon. Let’s get back to the sailboat.” Abby began heading back up the stairs.  
“Okay, fine.” Lev followed. “You were right.”  
“Uh… What was that?” Abby smiled.  
“Why do you make me repeat whenever I’m wrong?”  
“Cause it makes me feel better. And ‘cause it happens so rarely.” Abby walked back into the garage. She slipped past the boxes and was struck in the head by a man with a baseball bat. A brunette woman grabbed her and she and the man with the bat tackled Abby to the ground. Lev grabbed an arrow from his back and placed it into the bow. He aimed it at the man with the bat and released his grip. It hit the man with the bat in the shoulder. He cried out. Lev crept out of the garage and pulled another arrow out as Abby punched the woman. Abby sat up before being tackled by a third man as a fourth large man in a vest stepped forward to punch Lev.  
“Lev! Watch it!” Abby had noticed the man just before being tackled again. He dodged and aimed the bow at the man, hitting him in the throat.  
“Shit...” The brunette woman hissed. The bat man charged at Lev, who once again dodged and haphazardly shot another arrow in the direction of the bat man. The arrow hit him in the chest and he fell. The woman stood up and aimed her gun at Lev.  
“Put the bow down.”  
“Lev, fucking do it.” Abby grunted, pushing against the third guy. Lev sighed and dropped his bow. The woman picked it up and threw it over onto the lawn. She elbowed him in the forehead, knocking him onto the ground.  
“Stay.” She turned back to Abby.  
“Let’s tie her up. We’ll tie him up too and come back for him and… the others later.” She crouched down. The man scoffed.  
“We should just kill him for what he did.”  
“No. I have the feeling this one” She slammed Abby’s face into the ground as they flipped her over. “Won’t listen to us if we kill him.”  
"So lets just kill them both."  
"Nah. She'll be useful..."  
“If you kill him, you might as well kill me.” Abby confirmed as she spat out sand and blood.  
“See? I’m sure we could get her to do any-” The metallic sound of a bat hitting the back of the woman’s head rang through the street. She fell to the ground. Abby and the man looked over at Lev, holding the bat, blood dripping down his face.  
“You little shit!” The man charged at him. Lev started backing up, holding the bat up as a shield. Abby stood up, and grabbed him around the neck. She snapped his neck and dropped him.  
“There…” Abby muttered. Lev dropped the bat. Abby stepped over the man to Lev. She tilted his face up. He swatted at her.  
“Abby, I’m fine.” She gave him a look.  
“You’re bleeding.” He stepped out of her hold.  
“So are you! I’m fine for now. We should go.” Lev insisted, jogging over to his bow and putting it back over his shoulder.  
“You’re right” She motioned for Lev to follow her.


	2. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie can't sleep, Abby and Lev discuss the Fireflies.

Ellie laid on her back in her, Dina and JJ’s bed. She turned her head to look over at them, both sleeping. Ellie reached over and brushed some hair out of Dina’s face.  
“I love you.” She whispered. She sighed and pushed herself to sit. She looked at JJ and Dina for a minute before getting off the bed and heading downstairs. She grabbed a cup and filled it with water. Ellie stared at the backpack still sitting on the kitchen floor. Her hand itched to just pick it up and leave. It’s fucking mocking me. She thought. Ellie shook her head and moved to sit at the dining room table.  
“Ellie?” Dina rushed down the stairs, pausing when she saw Ellie sitting at the table. “Oh. Hey.”  
Ellie cheersed her glass in Dina’s direction halfheartedly. Dina walked over as Ellie stood up.  
“Sorry. I was gonna come back.”  
“It’s okay. I just... freaked when you weren’t there.” Dina crossed her arms. Ellie drank the rest of the water, and placed the glass on the table.  
“I can’t sleep.”  
“I’m sorry.” Dina whispered.  
“It’s not your fault.”  
“I know. I’m just… Sorry.” Dina bit her thumb. Ellie sighed. She felt like she was being pitied. She hated that. Ellie took the hand Dina was biting and kissed the palm of it. Dina moved her hand to Ellie’s cheek.  
“Let’s go back to bed, okay?” Dina murmured, before pressing her lips to her forehead.  
“Okay…” Dina took Ellie’s hand and led her back to the bedroom.

JJ sat up and smiled at Ellie, before babbling happily. Ellie slid off the bed and picked JJ up. The sun was shining through the curtains, but she figured Dina could have a little extra sleep, since she couldn’t sleep at all.  
“Come on Potato. Let’s go for a little walk, okay? Mama needs sleep.” He gurgled, which Ellie took as an ‘okay’. She took him down the stairs, then slipped her shoes on and opened the door. JJ squealed as the wind blew across the field. Ellie stared out across it looking for any unwanted visitors. Confirming that there weren’t, she then moved JJ to her hip and started walking around.  
“Look JJ. There’s a cloud, and there’s a tree, and there’s a bird.” Ellie pointed at each thing as she mentioned it. JJ bounced happily in her arms. “There’s the tractor, and there’s another tree, and uhhh…” She gestured to the house. “... there’s the house, the barn, the fence. Yeah, there isn’t much out here, Potato.” JJ laughed happily anyway. Ellie continued walking around the yard for a while, before her arms got tired.  
“Okay, buddy. Let’s go inside.” Ellie brought JJ inside.  
“Morning.” Dina stood at the sink. Ellie noticed her backpack had been moved.  
“Hey.” Ellie walked into the kitchen, put JJ down on the floor and shook out her arms.  
“He’s getting heavy, huh?” Dina smiled at him.  
“Oh yeah. I’m gonna get super buff just from holding him.”  
“I hope so.” Dina grinned. “That’s hot.” Ellie snorted and rolled her eyes. Dina winked at her before turning back to the sink.  
“...Uh, Dina, where’s my backpack?” Dina froze.  
“Ellie.”  
“It’s just a question.” Ellie raised her hands defensively.  
“We need to talk.”  
“I know.”  
“Okay. So let’s talk.” Dina turned to face Ellie who was wringing her hands together.

Lev picked up his bucket of lobsters, and looked out over the water. He watched the sun bouncing off it for a moment before bringing the lobsters over to Abby. She peered into the bucket.  
“Nice... You’re sure you’re okay?” She took the bucket from him and pulled a lobster out. He put a hand up to the bandaged gash on his forehead absentmindedly.  
“Yup... You got more injured than me. I’m okay.”  
“I’ll be fine.” Abby shrugged, and picked up a knife. She stabbed the lobster in the head and then down it’s back, killing it. She threw it back in the bucket and reached for the second one. “We really could have been in trouble though. You did great by the way.” She stabbed the second lobster and threw it in the bucket.  
“I did what I had to to get us out safe.” Lev shrugged.  
“Well it was very impressive. And very cool.” She smiled and held her hand up for a fist bump.  
“Thanks.” He returned the fist bump. Abby stood up and grabbed the bucket. Lev followed her off the boat, and over to the little cave they had been using to start fires in. Abby lit a fire, and placed the lobsters in a pot on top.  
“So when are we leaving?” Lev picked up a handful of sand.  
“As soon as possible.”  
“Tomorrow?” Lev watched the sand fall through his fingers. Abby shook her head.  
“Nah. We need to find a map.”  
“Where is Catalina Island?”  
“I think it’s still in California, but I don’t know where exactly.”  
“Which is why we need a map?”  
“Bingo.”  
“Who’s that?” Lev tilted his head.  
“It’s… an expression. It means, um… exactly? Well it’s also a game but- you know what? It doesn’t matter.” Abby shrugged.  
“Will we run into more of those people?” Lev asked, using his finger to write his name in the sand.  
“Probably.”  
“I should make some more arrows.” Lev said thoughtfully.  
“Alright. We’ll see if we can find you something else too.”  
“Too bad you traded away that pistol.” Lev said, faking wistfulness.  
“No way! Best trade of my life.” Abby grinned. Lev smiled and picked up more sand.  
“Maybe we can build a sand castle before we go.” Abby suggested, peering into the pot.  
“Okay.” Lev agreed, only vaguely knowing what a sandcastle was. After a few minutes of silence and Lev messing around with sand, Abby scooped the lobsters out of the pot and placed them onto a plate.  
“I’m gonna put this fire out. You take these inside.” She handed Lev the plate. He nodded and ran back over to the boat. Abby put the fire out and grabbed the pot and headed back to the boat. Lev was putting the strawberries on the table.  
“Looks pretty good, huh?” Abby put her hands on her hips  
“Yeah.” They ate in silence for a bit until they were both full enough that their minds could focus on something else.  
“Abby?”  
“Hm?”  
“What are we going to do when we get to the Fireflies?”  
“What..? Join them.”  
“Yes. But what do they do? Are they like the Wolves?” Abby thought about this for a moment before answering.  
“Kind of. They both fought against FEDRA… The Fireflies wanted to bring the old world back… That meant a cure... and the old government. Stuff like that. I don’t know if that’s still what they’re doing.” Abby looked at Lev seriously. “Whatever it is though... I’m ready.” Lev looked at the table.  
“Okay.” He hesitates, but finally looks up at Abby. “I guess I’m ready too.”


	3. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Dina finally talk, Abby and Lev talk about dreams.

Ellie watched Dina as she kneeled down beside JJ. Her knuckles were white from gripping the back of a dining room chair.

“Alright.” Dina stood up. “He’s got a snack and he’s playing.” She looked at Ellie expectantly. Ellie sighed. She really didn’t want to talk about this.

“Dina, I don’t want to talk about this.”

“So you’ll stay?” Dina raised an eyebrow. Ellie sighed

“Dina...”

“Ellie, I know you’re having a hard time. And I want to help you, or get you help, but-”

“I don’t need help, I need to go after her.” Ellie interrupted angrily.

“And what’s that going to do?” Dina placed her hands on her hips. “Ellie, it’s not just the two of us anymore, we have a kid!”

“I know. But what if I hurt one of you? If I hurt you, I won’t be able to live with myself. I just need to end it.” Ellie spoke harshly.

“Ellie, you aren’t going to hurt us.” Dina stepped forward to take her hand. Ellie took a step back.

“You don’t know that.”

“Ellie, if this is about Tommy, don’t let him get to you.”

“It’s not just Tommy. It’s Jesse and… J-Joel. I want to get justice for them.”

“I can tell you with certainty that Jesse would want you to stay and raise his son. Joel would want you to be here too. Safe. With your family.” Dina put extra emphasis on the last two lines.

“I’m never going to be okay if I don’t do this, Dina.”

“Ellie, if you want to leave… I won’t stop you, but we won’t wait for you.”

“What?”

“JJ and I aren’t going to be here if you come back.” Ellie stared at her in disbelief.

“Dina-”

“I’m serious. You need to decide what you’re going to do.” Ellie paused.

“... I need to take a walk.”

Ellie leaned against a tree, rubbing her temple as she sank down to the ground. She breathed through her nose trying to breathe evenly.  _ JJ and I aren’t going to be here if you come back.  _ The sentence rang through her head. She closed her eyes.  _ JJ and I aren’t going to be here if you come back.  _ Ellie’s face crumpled as she began crying. She sobbed, putting a hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. Eventually she started feeling drowsy, and accepting any kind of sleep her mind was offering her, she allowed herself to drift off to unconsciousness.

  
  


Abby jerked up into a sitting position, gasping for breath. She put a hand up to her chest, trying to calm herself down. Though the dreams of her father had stopped haunting her sleep, new dreams took their place. Owen, Mel, Manny, Yara and Lev’s faces now filled them, both dead and alive. This particular dream had started with Abby pinned to the floor by Owen while he kissed her sweetly. It ended with a bullet going through the back of his skull and when he had collapsed on top of her, she sat up to see Ellie holding a pistol. She finally woke up when the trigger was pulled on her. She blushed, remembering the beginning of the dream. Dreams more often than not involving Owen always had some element of sex or romance in them. It made her feel guilty.  _ He was going to be a father. Of another woman’s child. You don’t get to think about him like that.  _ Abby sighed and pushed her hair, usually in a braid but currently down, back. She turned her attention to Lev. He was scowling in his sleep. Nightmares weren’t unusual for either of them. Lev mumbled something Abby couldn’t understand, before yelping and bolting up. His hand immediately went to his hair as he breathed heavily. 

“Hey, you okay?” Abby asked. Lev nodded, still trying to catch his breath.

“Fuck…”

“Bad dream?”

“Mhmm…”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay.” Abby gave him time to calm down before patting the spot next to her. Lev looked at her for a moment before scooting over to sit next to her. He stared at his hands for a moment before speaking.

“I dreamt that Yara and my mom were mad at me for shaving my hair.” He said simply. Abby nodded. It wasn’t a dream he had often, but it wasn’t the first time he had had it. “...Sometimes I like having those dreams though. It means I get to see mom and Yara again. That’s messed up, isn’t it?”

“No... I don’t think so.” Abby shrugged.

“...What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you up?”

“Oh… yeah. Just a dream.” 

“Me or Owen?” Lev asked. Abby raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t realized he’d payed that much attention to the subjects in her dreams.

“Owen.” She murmured. Lev didn’t push for more details. Abby never gave them away when the dream involved Owen.

“Dreams are crap.” Lev huffed, crossing his arms. Abby chuckled. ‘Crap’ had recently been added to Lev’s vocabulary and it cracked her up for some reason. Lev swore like a newborn deer learning how to walk and because of that Abby probably took too much joy in teaching him to swear. They sat for a bit, calming themselves down.

“Let’s try and get some more sleep, okay?” Abby reached over to ruffle his hair.

“Okay.” Lev crawled back to his corner and pulled a blanket over himself. Abby flopped back, putting her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes, mentally flicking through her collection of happy memories like a box of records. Finally she settled on one of her and Lev finding and playing with a soccer ball on their way out of Seattle. That was enough to calm her down enough to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd be more of a Abby X Owen shipper if he hadn't cheated on his pregnant gf. Smh Abby, Owen.


	4. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Ellie and a bunch of Abby and Lev.

Ellie jolted awake to the sound of thunder. Her hair, t- shirt and jeans were soaking wet from the rain. She sighed and leaned back against the tree. She sat for a few moments before standing up. She stretched and shook out her limbs before heading back to the farm. Before she even reached the porch, Dina emerged from the house with a towel.

“Ellie? Are you okay?” Dina wrapped Ellie in the towel as she stepped up onto the porch. “Shoes off.” Dina said gently. Ellie attempted to toe them off, only being successful after the third attempt. Dina led her inside and into the kitchen. “Let’s get these clothes off of you. Mmkay?” Ellie shrugged but let Dina pull her clothes off. Dina wrapped her in the towel again and headed upstairs. After a couple minutes Dina returned with a new set of clothes. Ellie let Dina redress her.

“Where did you go?” 

“I dunno. I slept.”

“That’s good...where?”

“ ‘gainst a tree.” Ellie shrugged.

“Oh, Ellie.” Dina led her over to the couch and sat her down. “I’ll get you something to eat.” Dina went back into the kitchen.Ellie leaned her head on the back of the couch. 

“I’m not hungry.”

“I think you should eat.”

“Alright.” Ellie didn’t have the energy to argue. Soon Dina brought her a piece of buttered bread. Ellie held it in her hands, staring at it.

“Ellie, you need help.” Dina whispered as she brushed her hair back. Ellie just looked at her sadly. “Ellie, please tell me you’re not leaving.” 

“I-I…” Ellie’s voice cracked. “I can’t. I can’t let you and JJ go but…” Ellie covered her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m going to talk to Maria, see if there’s someone you can talk to, okay?” Dina kissed her forehead.

“...Okay.” 

“...I’m also going to see if there’s anything she can do about keeping Tommy away.”

“Why?” Ellie scrunched her face up.

“Because he tried to convince you to go after her. He’ll try again.”

“He’s having a hard time, Dina.”

“I know, but so are you, and I have to look out for you and JJ first. Eat your bread.” Ellie shoved a good portion of the bread in her mouth, and chewed it sadly. Dina kissed her forehead and stood up. “I’m just gonna check on JJ, okay?”

“Is he napping?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll go.”

“El-”

“No. I’m okay.” She insisted. Ellie stood up and shoved half of the remaining bread into her mouth. She headed upstairs. She walked into the bedroom to see JJ bouncing in his crib. She put the rest of the bread into her mouth and picked him up out of the crib. She held him to her chest. Dina peeked into the room.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Ellie pressed her cheek to the top of JJ’s head. Dina sighed and wrapped her arms around the two of them. She kissed Ellie’s temple.

“We’re gonna be okay…”

Sunlight peeked through the curtains on the boat. Abby groaned and put an arm over her eyes. 

“Good morning.” Lev said, quietly.

“Hey.” Abby moved her arm. She looked over at Lev to find he had his nose buried in a tattered copy of  _ Lord of The Flies _ . Abby had found it in a school and had grabbed it remembering when her father had made her read it.  _ If I had to read it, you have to read it, Abs. Just because the education system doesn’t exist properly, doesn’t mean you get out of being tortured.  _ Abby had actually enjoyed the book somewhat, but she figured that's because her dad hadn’t really forced her to read it. She closed her eyes for a moment to savour the memory before sitting up. She leaned over and plucked the book out of Lev’s hands. She flipped it over, examining the back, keeping her finger in the book so as to not lose Lev’s page.

“Hey!” Lev protested reaching for the book. Abby held him back with her arm. She pretended to examine it critically. 

“This book. It seems... kind of old world.” Abby said feigning shock. “How scandalous.” 

“You’re an asshole.” Lev deadpanned. Abby smiled.

“I know.” She bopped him on the head with the book before handing it back to him. She stood up and stretched causing her back and arms to pop. 

“Are we going to go find a map today?”

“That’s the plan.” Abby flipped her head around and gathered all her hair up to start rebraiding it. Lev put his book down.    
“I’m going outside.”

“Alright. Take my pistol.” Abby gestured to the table.

“Sure.” Lev grabbed it off the table, checked to see if it was loaded, and exited the cabin. Abby continued braiding her hair. Lev walked over to where he had left his converse shoes and picked them up. He sat down, placing the pistol next to him. He pulled on his shoes and laced them up. Lev stood up and picked up the pistol, putting it in the waistband of his jeans. He jumped off the boat, landing on two feet. He looked around cautiously. Deciding that there weren’t any infected or intruders, he began walking around to see if he could find anything interesting. He’d already explored the beach multiple times, but he still looked around hoping to find something interesting. He eventually found a long stick, which he used to write his name in the sand. He wrote it several times before dropping the stick and heading back to the boat. When he entered the boat again, Abby was packing her backpack.

“Find anything interesting?” 

“Nah.” Lev handed Abby the pistol. Lev went to grab his bow and quiver from the floor. Abby pulled on her backpack and pulled her new braid out from between the bag and her back. 

“Here. Let me check your forehead before we leave.” Abby reached out and peeled the bandage off of his forehead. She inspected the wound, before placing a new bandage on it.

“How are you?” Lev winced. Abby shrugged. 

“Ribs are a little sore, but nothings broken. You ready?” 

“Yes.” Lev gave a thumbs up. Abby nodded and left the cabin of the boat. She jumped down onto the sand and Lev followed. 

“Alright.” Abby scratched her shoulder. “We should look around here.” Abby and Lev had arrived at a small plaza that contained a gas station, a bookstore, a Chinese restaurant and a drug store. Lev nodded and reached behind for an arrow. A couple clickers and runners stood around in the parking lot. Abby snuck up behind a runner and snapped its neck. Lev shot another in the head with an arrow. They continued until all the infected were cleared from the parking lot. Lev jogged around collecting his arrows.

“Hey, good job.” Abby ruffled his hair. He swats her hand away, but smiles.

“Thank you.” Abby walked around the parking lot for a few minutes before trying the door at the gas station. 

“Locked. Of course.”

“Maybe it’s open at the back?”

“Maybe. But that’s too easy.” They headed around the back, and to Abby’s surprise the door’s lock was broken. 

“We should be careful.” Lev said, drawing his bow. Abby pulled out her pistol and opened the door. She inspected the inside of what looked to be an old break room before stepping inside. Lev followed, looking around before slipping past Abby.

“Hey, careful.”

“I know. I’ll be fine.” Lev looked around at the posters on the walls. Abby spotted a safe in the corner and she inspected it.

“Hey, keep an eye out for anything that could be a code for this.”

“Sure. What’re all these pictures for?” Lev looked over at Abby.

“Rules and safety and stuff for employees?”

“What’s an employee?”

“I guess...Someone who works somewhere for money.” Abby picked up a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Lev nodded thoughtfully.

“Money is corrupt.” Lev said solemnly. 

“Why’s that?” Abby decided to ask as she picked up a roll of tape.

“The Prophet says that people who have too much money become greedy. And greed takes them over and takes away their humanity. There were people with houses big enough for dozens of people, yet some people lived on the streets all because they didn’t have enough money. I don’t understand how people ever thought that was fair. Why didn’t people just share the money?” Lev frowned, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Well people earned the money, right? So they didn’t want to just give it away. They needed it to live, for a home and food and stuff. The people with lots didn’t want to give it away either I guess.”

“That’s… stupid.” Lev kicked the wall. 

“It’s just the way it was.” Abby shrugged. She crossed the room to a door and pulled out her gun. She opened it, and looked inside. All that was inside was a set of keys. She pocketed them, making note of a door she figured led to the outside. She walked over to another door that was across from the door they entered from. 

“Ready, Lev?”

“Mmhmm.” He took out his bow. Abby pulled out her gun and opened the door. The door led to the area behind a counter. A clicker stood swaying gently near the front of the store. Lev pushed past Abby and shot an arrow at it. He missed. Lev and Abby both immediately crouched down.

“Oops.” He whispered. Abby looked over top of the counter. The clicker shambled around the room trying to find the source of the noise. Abby quickly made a silencer, and shot the clicker. It fell to the ground with a thud.

“Just one?” Lev whispered. 

“I think so.” Abby stood up. She opened a drawer behind the counter, finding nothing. 

“What are these?” Lev pulled a box out of a drawer on the back wall.

“Cigarettes.” Abby said looking behind her briefly before opening another drawer. Lev opened the box and pulled one out.

“What’s it for?”

“Smoking. I don’t know how good 20ish year old cigarettes would be though.” 

“Do you smoke them?” Lev put the cigarette back in the box.

“I have. I never made a habit out of it. My dad was a doctor, he taught me better.”

“Are they bad for you?” Lev tilted his head.

“Yeah. They fuck up your lungs and… give you cancer and stuff.” Abby held out her hand. “You can try one when we get back to the boat if you want. 14 is an okay age, and I better let you do stuff or else you’ll rebel.” Abby said in a teasing tone. Lev made a face but handed them over. Abby put them in her backpack. Lev walked out from behind the counter. He picked up a piece of paper from the counter and began reading it. 

“Here.” He offered the paper to Abby. She took it from him.

_ 05/24/2020 _

_ Joshua, _

_ I was bit. _

_ If you find this I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m going to take the easy way out, like we discussed. I don’t want you to see me as one of them, to have to kill me. I’d do anything to be able to feel you in my arms again. Anything to kiss you and tell you I love you one more time. That’s not going to happen. I’m sorry. I love you. I left my things (minus the revolver) in the safe. The code is the day everything went to shit. Good luck. I LOVE YOU. _

_ Love,  _

_ Chase _

“Nice. I mean not the... but uh, you know.” Abby shrugged, putting the note in her bag.

“I guess they couldn’t do it.” Lev murmured. Abby walked around the store looking for supplies. She collected another bottle of Alcohol, a pair of scissors and inspected some cans before deciding none of them were salvageable. She found a box of energy bars and took a couple bags of dried beans. She heard Lev giggling and walked around to find him. She found him at the spinning display that housed cards and postcards. Lev was holding a card and reading the front of it. He put it back and pulled out another one, smiling as he read it. 

“What’d you find, kid?”

“These are hilarious. What are they?” He handed the card to her.

“Cards. People used to give them to people for birthdays or if someone was sick or died.” She looked at the card. It had a giraffe with a party hat on it.

“What did people do with them?”

“My dad used to keep the ones I made him.” 

“For what?”

“I dunno. Posterity?” Abby put the card back.

“Hmm… seems pointless. I like them though.” He took another one from the display. Abby looked at him fondly before carrying on with scavenging. She found another display rack that had maps in it. She took one that claimed to be a map of California and took it to the counter. She spread it out, flattening it with her hands and inspected it. Lev moved to stand next to her.

“Okay, so” She pointed to Santa Barbra. “this is where we are.” She pointed to an island labeled Santa Catalina Island. “This is where we’re going.” Lev nodded and took a pen that was sitting on the counter. He wrote a word underneath the label.

“Fireflies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk how America works. 
> 
> This one was long, sorry.


	5. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Dina participate in some *ahem* activities. (Not really any actual smut) and Lev and Abby have a conversation.

Ellie bounced JJ on her lap at the dining table as rain spattered against the house. Dina placed a plate in front of her.

“I’ll take him.” Dina wiped her hands on her jeans before reaching for JJ. Ellie shook her head.

“No.” She turned him to face the table. “I’ll feed him.”

“I want you to be able to eat Ellie.” Dina said gently. Ellie shook her head again.

“Mama needs to eat too, right JJ?” She grabbed JJ’s hands and softly molded them into two thumbs ups. “See? He agrees with me.” Dina smiled.

“As cute as you both are, Mama knows best and so I’ll take him.” She scooped JJ up. Ellie whined.

“Aw come on Dina. You stole my little buddy.” Dina chuckled and sat on the other side of the table.

“You can have your buddy back after you eat.” Dina made JJ wave at Ellie across the table. Ellie stared at Dina and aggressively stabbed her egg with a fork. She shoved half of it in her mouth. Dina made a face.

"You said you wanted eggs for dinner, but with the way you're eating them you could've fooled me."

"I'll eat my eggs how I want, Dina." She said defiantly through a mouth of eggs. "They are very delicious." She added when Dina gave her a look. Dina handed JJ a piece of potato and picked up her fork. 

"Let's go up to Jackson tomorrow. JJ can see his grandparents, and we can talk to Maria and maybe visit Joel and Jesse if you're up for it."

"Okay." Ellie stabbed a potato with her fork. 

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Mmhmm."

"Okay." Dina looked at her, concern on her face. Ellie wished she'd stop so she looked away and shoved more egg in her mouth. Ellie ate quickly, almost choking on a potato. When she was finished she stood up and made grabby hands for JJ. Dina sighed but slid JJ's food across the table. Ellie walked around the table and picked him up, squeezing him tightly to her chest. She sat back down, and handed JJ a potato. 

"A spud for my spud." Ellie proclaimed. Dina smiled as Ellie kissed his cheek. They sat quietly as Ellie fed JJ until Dina stood up to clear their plates. 

“You really want to go to town tomorrow?”

“Yes, Dina. I’m fine. I swear.” Ellie looked at her. Dina bit her thumb. 

“I’m just worried.”

“Don’t, it’ll be nice to get out of the house.”

“Okay... If you put JJ to bed, I’ll tidy up and then we can spend some time together. You know. Not talking about all the bullshit in our lives and doing something else.” Dina poured heated milk into a bottle.

“Something else?” Ellie blinked. “Like a board game?”

“Sure…  _ or something else. _ ” Dina looked her up and down.

“Oh…  _ Oh. _ Shit. Okay.” Ellie cleared her throat. “Uhm…” She was sure her face had turned red. Dina laughed.

“Go put him to bed.” Dina stepped forward and held out the bottle

“Uh, yeah, right.” Ellie shot up and grabbed the milk before carrying JJ upstairs. 

“Hey.” Dina whispered standing in the doorway. Ellie looked up, the hand she’d been smoothing JJ’s hair down with stopping. “Are you watching him sleep?”

“Yeah.” Ellie stood up and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. Dina chuckled.

“That’s kind of creepy.”

“It’s not creepy. He’s my kid.” Ellie rolled her eyes. “Sorry for leaving you alone with him earlier.”

“It’s alright. You’re going through something.” Dina stepped forward and put her arms around Ellie’s neck. “Besides, you can make it up to me.” She smiled. Ellie snorted but put her hands on Dina’s hips and kissed her. Dina pulled away and looked at her, smiling. She took her hands in her own and brought her downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs Ellie leaned down and kissed her, her hands on Dina’s shoulders. Dina reached up to unbutton Ellie’s shirt. Ellie walked her backwards towards the couch and gently pushed her onto it. Ellie lowered herself onto the couch and pulled Dina to face her. She kissed her throat before moving to the side of her neck. Dina sighed as she pushed Ellie’s button up from her shoulders. Ellie let it fall onto the floor before moving her lips off Dina's neck, grabbing the hem of Dina’s t -shirt and pulling it over her head. Dina tossed her shirt onto the floor and wrapped her arms around Ellie’s neck. She pushed Dina onto the couch. Ellie let Dina pull her tank top over her head and throw it onto the floor. Dina sighed as she placed her hands on Ellie’s hips. Her fingers traced lines down Ellie’s stomach and up to her uncovered chest. Ellie shivered and she leaned forward again to kiss Dina. Dina moved a hand into Ellie’s hair. She giggled as Ellie kissed down her chest.

Abby folded up the map and slid it carefully into her backpack. She and Lev walked back into the break room, over to the safe. She entered '09/26/13'

"Hmm… no?" Abby squinted. 

"That's not it?" Lev asked, looking around for a date. Lev pointed to one of those calendars that showed the date one day at a time. The day was stuck on September 27th. Abby tried that. The safe still refused to open. 

"What if… " she pulled Chase's letter out of her bag and punched in the date at the top of the page. The safe stayed locked

"Try the day before. Maybe that's when he got bitten." Lev suggested. Abby tried that. The safe unlocked with a click.

"There we go."

"I guess that's the day it went to shit for them." Lev murmured. Inside the safe was some bullets and a medical kit. Abby put the medkit in her bag. 

"I say we keep looking for supplies. What do you think?" 

"Yes. Let's do that." Lev and Abby left the gas station and wandered over to the Chinese restaurant. The glass was already broken, so Abby and Lev stepped inside. 

"This was a restaurant?" Lev asked. Abby nodded. He picked up a dirty, laminated menu from the floor and started reading it. Abby looked around for anything useful, but came up with nothing. She turned the knob on the door behind the counter and found that I was locked. 

"Of course." She muttered. She noticed a window behind the counter and turned to Lev. "Hey, can you crawl through?" He nodded, putting down the menu and walked over. He climbed onto the back counter and Abby held him steady as he slipped through feet first. He unlocked the door for Abby and she entered into what had once been a kitchen. The ovens were on the side opposite the door while a row of counters were beside the door. Lev picked up a slip of paper off the counter and read it out loud. 

"'Good things are coming your way.' What is this for?" He looked up at Abby. 

"I actually don't know, but I hope it's true." 

"Me too." Lev folded it in half and stuck it in his pocket. Abby went through her normal routine of checking drawers and cupboards for supplies. She collected an empty plastic bottle and a couple rags and put them in her backpack. She pushed a door beside the oven open and stepped inside. She started opening the drawers of a filing cabinet. The only useful object was a broken pair of scissors.

"Vermont." Lev said.

"Hmm?" Abby glanced behind her shoulder. Lev offered her the coin. "Oh. Hey, thanks." She put out her hand and Lev dropped the coin into it. She stuck it in her pocket and ruffled his hair. Lev had noticed Abby collecting coins way back in Seattle, but hadn't thought to ask about it until later. Abby had explained that her father had collected coins and that it had just become something she liked to do. Lev thought they were cool and was always happy to keep an eye out for them. Abby closed the last drawer and stood up. She looked at Lev who was inspecting a scratch off lottery ticket. 

"That's a lottery ticket." Abby said before Lev could ask. She walked over. "My dad said that they're a waste of money." 

"What do you do with it?" Lev asked.

"Here so… " Abby took the lottery ticket and inspected it. "Oh hey, it's only half done." She pulled Vermont out of her pocket and handed it back to Lev. "You remember I talked about bingo the other day?" Lev nodded. "This is like bingo. You scratch off these numbers here" she pointed to the covered numbers at the top. " and see if they match the numbers here." She gestured to the bingo cards. "Go ahead and scratch this stuff off." Lev immediately went to work, when he had finished Abby launched into an explanation of how to play bingo and told him to scratch the numbers off as he went. He went to work, looking at the ticket with complete concentration. Abby leaned in to get a better look. He slid the ticket over to show Abby. She inspected it.

“Hey. You won $5.” She smiled, passing the ticket back to him. He looked at it.

“Really?” He asked, excitedly. She nodded. He paused, staring at the ticket before scowling. “That’s useless.” He stood up straight, turned and dropped the ticket on the desk. He started sprinting out of the chinese restaurant. Abby frowned. She picked up the ticket and put it in her bag. 

“Lev! What’s wrong?” She went after him. She reached the front of the store to see him dart around a clicker and try the door on the book store. When the door didn’t work he ran to the side where Abby lost sight of him. She shook her head and stepped through the window, crouching down. She made a shiv and walked while crouching over to the clicker. She grabbed it from behind and stabbed it in the neck. She headed to the side of the book store. She jogged over to a metal door on the side of the building and tried to open it. 

“What? How did he…? Did he lock it?” She rolled her eyes and headed around the back. She came across a set of double doors locked only with a lock. She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and set to work picking the lock. Finally it opened and she dropped it and the bobby pin onto the ground. She cautiously slipped inside, looking around for any movement. When she didn’t see anything she closed the door behind her. The room became dark so she switched on her flashlight. Dust particles floated through the air. She seemed to be in some kind of office. She briefly looked around for supplies, finding nothing. She looked around at the dust covered books and papers before stepping over to another door and opening it. She stepped into the main part of the bookstore, not being able to help but admire it. The store was lit up by a sky light and windows covering the front of the store. On either side of the front of the store there were staircases that led to an upper part of the store. Shelves lined the walls and stood in rows away from the walls. She immediately wanted to sit down and read.

“Lev…” She called out. There was no response. She started walking forward into the store,and looked around behind the shelves. 

“Lev!” She called out again. She looked behind another shelf and found Lev sitting against a bookshelf with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. Abby took off her backpack and sat criss crossed next to him.

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing. Fuck off.”

“Uhh, rude. You don’t have to tell me but-” Abby placed her hands on her knees. Lev screwed his eyes closed.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to join the Fireflies.” Lev mumbled.

“What do you mean? Of course they’ll let you join.”

“I know. I just mean… I want to, but I feel… bad. The Fireflies are so opposite to the Seraphites and The Prophet is telling me that everything I’m doing, everything I  _ am _ is wrong.” Lev sighed. Abby thought for a minute before responding.

“I think… I think it’s okay to feel like that. I mean, it’s not okay that people made you think like that, but it’s… What I’m trying to say is that your feelings are okay to have, but you can’t stop them from letting you move forward. I let feelings stop me from moving on and it… cost me a lot.” Abby sighed. Lev nodded.

“Okay. I’ll try. It’s so stupid because I’ve felt better than I ever have in my entire life since we left Seattle, but my shit brain has to ruin it.”

“Your brain is  _ not  _ shit.” Abby smiled. 

“It’s messed up.”

“No.” Abby insisted. “I like your brain.”

“… I’m sorry for running.” Lev said, changing the subject.

“You’re okay.” Abby punched his shoulder. 

“Ow” He punched her shoulder in return. She laughed.

“Weak.” Abby said. “Hey, this book store is pretty cool, right?”

“Yes. I’d like to look around if there’s time.”

“You bet. The Fireflies aren’t going anywhere.”

“I mean they could- Hey!” Abby had stood up and pulled Lev to his feet.

“Come on!” Abby headed back to the front of the store.

“You’re a nerd.” Lev picked up his bow and followed her.

“Nope. You’re a nerd.”

“You’re more of a nerd.”

“Yeah… You’re right I am a nerd.” Abby sighed in awe as she looked around the bookstore. “I love books.” She looked around trying to decide where to start. Lev grabbed a book with a bright red apple on the front from the ‘Popular selections” display and opened it. 

“ ‘I'd never given much thought to how I would die...’ “ Lev blinked. “I have. I think about dying everyday.” Abby winced at his comment but looked at the book he was holding.

“Mel used to read those when we were younger.”

“What’s it about?”

“Vampires.”

“Oh, so it’s horror.” Lev closed the book and turned it over. Abby laughed.

“No, it’s romance.”

“Aren’t vampires those guys that drink blood?”

“Yup.” Abby nodded. Lev looked at her in confusion.

“So, the vampires fall in love?”

“The girl is a human and the guy is a vampire. There are people who turn into wolves too. Werewolves they’re called.” Abby said. Lev shook his head and put the book back on the shelf.

“It sounds ridiculous.”

“Well, yeah. It’s for teenage girls.”

“Then I’m definitely not reading it.” Lev picked up another book and inspected it. Abby looked at him for a minute then darted over to the nearest shelf and started looking at books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was gonna write some smut but then realized I'm a virgin.
> 
> So sorry for the late update. I wanted to update on Tuesday but got busy with scholarship applications and putting my dog down. I also made bread. It was legit. 
> 
> Thx 4 r33d1ng X0 Rawr UWU!!!1!!


	6. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visiting Jesse and Joel and   
> Keychains!

“Okay, so we’ll go see Jesse and Joel, and then we’ll drop JJ off with his grandparents, and then we’ll go see Marie. Then we’ll go get some lunch… Or maybe see Marie after.” Dina shoved some clothes into a backpack as she spoke. Ellie held JJ in her lap.

“Okay.” Ellie tilted her head to place her cheek on JJ’s head. Dina turned to her and pulled on a blue cardigan. Ellie thought she looked like a mom, or at least how she thought a mom should look with her cardigan, slim fitting blue jeans, soft grey t-shirt and a bun. Ellie on the other hand did not think she herself dressed like a mom. Button ups and sweatshirts did not scream ‘mom’. The tan and red flannel and dark bootcut jeans she wore at the moment certainly didn’t. But Ellie liked what she wore and so did Dina so that was all that really mattered to her.

“Are you okay?” Dina asked, putting the backpack on.

“Uh. Yeah?” Ellie 

“You sound unsure.” She squinted.

“Let’s just go.” Ellie rolled her eyes and stood up and put JJ on her hip. She walked out to Japan, Dina’s horse. Dina sighed, trailing behind her. Ellie passed JJ to her and got on the horse. Dina passed JJ back and got on behind Ellie. Finally Ellie passed him back.

“See spud? That’s called hot potato. You’re the potato and Mama is hot.” Ellie took the reins and got the horse to start walking. Dina snorted and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

JJ was asleep by the time they’d gotten to Jackson. It was a mostly silent trip, only a few words exchanged the entire time. Ellie waved to the guards at the gate and recognizing the pair, they opened them. Ellie had Japan walk to the stables. She slid off and held her hands out for JJ. Dina hopped off. 

“I’ll put him in the stable. You head to the cemetery, okay.?” Ellie nodded. Dina placed a kiss on the top of each of their heads and pulled the sling around Ellie’s head and helped her adjust JJ into it. Ellie waved and walked off towards the cemetery. Despite her notoriety in town, only a few people waved or smiled at her. For the most part people ignored her. Whether that was due to Joel’s death or the fact that she was raising a kid with another woman, she wasn’t sure. Ellie couldn’t bring herself to enter the cemetery. She stood out front, looking across it as she waited for Dina.

“Ellie?” A familiar voice called. She turned. Cat stood there, 

“Oh. Cat. Hey.” Cat smiled.

“Hey.” She gestured to JJ. “He’s getting huge.” 

“Oh yeah.” Ellie nodded. “And heavy.” She shifted him to a different position. She laughed.

“I never pictured you with kids, but it’s for sure not a bad look.” Cat leaned in to get a better look at JJ’s sleeping face.

“Neither did I, but… stuff happens.” She shrugged gently.

“How’s the tatt?”

“Oh.” Ellie held out her arm. “Good. It’s faded a bit of course, but it still looks great.” Cat nodded.

“Why thank you. Any plans for the next one?”

“Oh I don’t know if I want-”

“El!” Dina jogged over and put an arm around her waist. “Cat…” She nodded curtly. Cat’s eyes flicked over to the protective arm around Ellie and she unsuccessfully tried to hold back a smirk.

“Dina. Always a pleasure.” Dina stared at her for a second before looking over at Ellie. 

“What were you two talking about?”

“Oh, uh…” Ellie started. Cat interrupted. 

“Tattoos! What do you think, Dina? You gonna let me give you one?” Cat smiled tentatively probably hoping Dina would have chilled out since the last time they interacted. 

“I’ll think about it.” Dina deadpanned.

“Great.” Cat scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “Well… I just got into town. Gotta go see mom.” She waved as she walked by. “Catch you guys later.”

“Bye.” Ellie waved. When she turned back to Dina, she was startled to see her scowling. “What?” Ellie asked. Dina just looked at her and sighed.

“Nothing. C’mon.” Dina took Ellie’s hand and led her over to the entrance of the cemetery. Dina squeezed her hand and they walked over to Jesse’s gravestone. Dina gently woke JJ up and pulled him out of the sling. 

“Hey buddy shhh…” She bounced him in her arms lightly to quiet him. “We’re saying hi to Dada.” Ellie shoved her hands into her pockets. Dina balanced JJ on her hip, reached to take Ellie’s hand out of her pocket and held it. Dina cleared her throat. Dina liked talking to Jesse’s grave or Talia’s picture despite saying she wasn’t religious. Ellie figured it was a comfort thing.

“... Hey Jesse. JJ is getting so big, and he looks just like you. We...we miss you.” She looked over at Ellie and Ellie looked back for a minute before realizing that Dina wanted her to say something.

“Oh. Um… Hey Jesse. I’m… doing my best to take care of JJ. Miss you.” Ellie took her hand out of Dina’s and put her arm around Dina. Dina put her head on Ellie’s shoulder. Dina launched into a story about the time the 3 of them tried making Jesse’s parents a cake for their anniversary, but managed to not only burn it but also the second cake. They stood for a few minutes before Dina raised her head off of Ellie’s shoulder and used the hand not carrying JJ to wipe her eyes. 

“Okay.” She smiled tiredly. “Let’s go see Joel.” She took Ellie’s hand and led her over to the familiar gravestone. Ellie crouched down to trace her fingers over the name. Dina stood behind her, holding JJ. Ellie took her hand away and placed them on the tops of her thighs. Ellie felt her eyes begin to sting. She thought about going after Abby. If thinking about Joel was going to keep doing this to her, she thought, maybe she should go after her. Ellie mulled this over for a minute. Her hands balled into fists to stop them from shaking. She looked down at the grass and screwed her eyes up. She felt a hand grip her shoulder. Ellie’s head shot up.

“Ellie, stop thinking about her. Just think about him.” She let go and sat beside her. Ellie dropped out of the crouch and onto her butt. She reached out for JJ. Dina placed him in her lap.

“I’d… Tell JJ a story but... “ Ellie let out a breath.

“You can’t. I understand. Lets just sit.” Dina put her arm around Ellie and squeezed. Ellie felt her heart explode at the touch and let herself start sobbing. It was like Dina had dragged sandpaper across the still raw muscle of her heart. The fact that someone like Dina cared about her that much, combined with… well Joel, made her emotional. Dina let her cry, gently shushing her and ensuring that JJ wouldn’t be too upset. JJ wasn’t old enough to understand what was going on, but he had an almost comical look of concern on his face when looking at Ellie. Ellie opened her eyes and paused, looking at JJ. 

“I’m okay spud.” She murmured hugging him close to her as Dina brushed her fingers through her hair. “I’m okay.”

  
  


With her bag full of books, Abby headed to the front of the store to track down Lev.

“Lev?” She called. 

“I’m here.” He called back. He walked towards her, a few books in hand. 

“What’d you find?” 

“Sea creatures.” He held up the first book. “Space.” He switched to the second book. “And dinosaurs.” He held up the third book.

“Ah yes. The essentials. You can put them in my backpack if you want.”

“Yes please.” He dumped his new books into the backpack she held out. 

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah. We should come back here one day.”

“Sure. One day.” She smiled.

“Are we going to check out the pharmacy?” 

“We can. I’m sure it’s already been raided, but who knows.”

  


Lev stepped forward to test the door. It opened and he looked inside critically.

“I think it’s been raided.”

“Sure, but maybe we’ll find a cool keychain.” Abby pulled out her pistol and pushed past him. He sighed and followed her.

“What are we going to do with a keychain? We don’t have any keys.”

“I don’t know… put it on my backpack?” Abby looked around the store cautiously. The store was large with several isles, a pharmacy and a makeup counter. “Okay, I don’t see any infected, but keep an eye out and be quiet” Lev nodded. Abby began searching around for supplies at the entrance and around the makeup counter. Lev looked up at a large picture of a smiling baby on the wall. He frowned at it.

“Do you think this baby is still alive?”

“Well if they are, then they wouldn’t be a baby anymore.” Abby said.

“Why is there a big baby on the wall anyway?”

“Probably an advertisement or something.” 

“And an advertisement is something that makes a person want to buy something.” Lev said confidently. 

“Exactly. I think everything’s been picked over, but let’s keep looking for that keychain.” Abby smiled. Lev nodded and smiled back. He followed her through the store, picking up a supplement bottle and putting it in his pack. Abby found a single bottle of rubbing alcohol and put it in her bag. They stepped into the gift/ toy area near the checkout lanes and Abby stepped over to a display of keychains. She gestured to them and smiled.

“Take your pick.” Lev inspected each keychain carefully, while Abby made her way to the grocery section just in case there was something left. It amazed her that there was still stuff almost 30 years into the end of the world. Most of the shelves were empty, but she took a jar of honey, remembering that her father once told her that the real stuff didn’t go bad. She looked around a little more before heading back over to Lev. He was holding a pair of keychains. 

“I couldn’t decide between these two…” He held up a keychain shaped like a shark and a small flat circle the size of the top of a pop can filled with water and glitter. An image of a beach was behind the water and glitter. 

“Good choices.” Abby smiled and crouched down and took off her backpack. She held out a hand and Lev dropped the shark into her hand. He shook the glitter keychain before handing it to her. She attached them to her bag. “It’s like a snow globe.” 

“Whats a-”

“Hey man, let’s check in here.” A voice echoed around the store.

“Whatever dude. Pretty sure it’ll be a waste of time.” A pair of muscled men in bulletproof vests walked in. Lev crouched down behind the display and looked at Abby in alarm. Abby reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. He nodded his head towards the door. She gave him a thumbs up.

"Careful."  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should say sorry for the lack of updates, but instead because Tumblr told me to stop saying sorry, I will say  
> Thank you to anyone still here reading my crappy fic :)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so  
> I'm having a bit of an issue with the timeline, and while it's not that important to this, I'd like to try and figure it out. I found an article saying the time between Seattle day 3 and the day Ellie leaves the farm was about 18 months. I think this makes sense since Dina was about 6 weeks pregnant (morning sickness, she said she missed her period a few (few is about 3) weeks prior, I added 3 weeks before her period) Then 7/8 ish more months pregnant. JJ could be between 9-12 months old (He talks so he's advanced in this case lol) this is 17-20 ish months after Seattle day 3. I went with 18 like the article. BUT when Ellie is getting info from the vest Rattler, he says Abby and Lev have been kidnapped for a couple months (about 2 ish) So did Ellie take about 2 months to get to Santa Barbra, or did Tommy get the info a month and a bit after they got kidnapped? Google maps says it takes 130 hours to get to Santa Barbra, California which is 13.75 days. So even adding a few days that isn't two months?? I know it would probably take longer, but how long? I'm trying to figure out if kidnapping day, and Tommy shows Ellie the map day is the same, or if kidnapping day is before. Idk. I'd like opinions if anyone reads this.


End file.
